U.S. patent number 6,547,084 [Application Number 09/940,205] was granted by the patent office on 2003-04-15 for replenishable merchandising display for use in a retail environment.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Eastman Kodak Company. Invention is credited to Cindy A. Bauman, Gaylynn F. Durkin, Gary W. Schum, Edward Zogg.
United States Patent |
6,547,084 |
Bauman , et al. |
April 15, 2003 |
Replenishable merchandising display for use in a retail
environment
Abstract
A replenishable merchandising display requires the product to be
displayed for sale be loaded into modular receptacles at the
manufacturer and that a merchandising display for receiving the
modular receptacles be shipped to a retailer. The retailer then
loads the modular receptacles containing product into the
merchandising display and eventually replenishes the merchandising
display once the product is depleted.
Inventors: |
Bauman; Cindy A. (Hilton,
NY), Zogg; Edward (Ontario, NY), Durkin; Gaylynn F.
(Rochester, NY), Schum; Gary W. (Alexander, NY) |
Assignee: |
Eastman Kodak Company
(Rochester, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
25474417 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/940,205 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/71.01;
211/85.17; 280/79.3; 312/138.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F
3/004 (20130101); A47F 5/0018 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47F
5/00 (20060101); A47F 3/00 (20060101); A47F
005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;211/71.01,134,85.17,49.1 ;280/79.3 ;312/117,138.1,249.8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gibson, Jr.; Robert W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bailey, Sr.; Clyde E.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is related to U.S. application Ser. No.
81464, filed herewith, by Bauman, et al., and entitled, "METHOD OF
REPLENISHING PRODUCT FOR RETAIL IN A MERCHANDISING DISPLAY."
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A replenishable merchandising display, comprising: an upright
standing, substantially rigid frame comprising a plurality of
product compartments, each one of said plurality of product
compartments having a top wall and an opposed bottom wall defining
a base, and opposed side walls each being adjoined to a rear wall,
and said opposed side walls exposing an opening to receive and
access an at least one generally polygonal-shaped, modular
receptacle, and wherein at least one of said plurality of product
compartments has a vertical stabilizer member associated with said
base for separating adjacent product compartments and for
structurally supporting said plurality of product compartments,
said vertical stabilizer member being substantially
rectangular-shaped and rotatably associated with said base in said
substantially rigid frame for accommodating said at least one
generally polygonal-shaped, modular receptacle of a predetermined
dimension; and, said at least one generally polygonal-shaped
modular receptacle being removably stored in one of said plurality
of product compartments, said generally polygonal-shaped modular
receptacle accommodating a predetermined quantity of sales unit of
a product.
2. The merchandising display recited in claim 1 wherein the
substantially rigid frame comprises materials selected from the
group consisting of: (a) thermoformable polymeric materials; (b)
thermoset polymeric materials; (c) metallic materials; and, (d)
corrugated plastic materials.
3. The merchandising display recited in claim 2 wherein the
substantially rigid frame comprises a corrugated plastic
material.
4. The merchandising display recited in claim 3 wherein said
corrugated plastic material is corrugated polyethylene.
5. The merchandising display recited in claim 2 wherein said
merchandising display further includes a plurality of roller
members attached for rotation to an exterior portion of said frame
for mobilizing said merchandising display.
6. The merchandising display recited in claim 2 wherein said base
of said product compartment for supporting said product is slightly
tilted upwardly towards said top wall of said frame for ease of
viewing and removing said product from said at least one generally
polygonal-shaped modular receptacle.
7. The merchandising display recited in claim 2 wherein a
promotional header is removably attached to said frame.
8. The merchandising display recited in claim 6 wherein said
promotional header is arranged along a top portion of said frame.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the field of merchandising
displays for promotional articles or product. More particularly,
the invention concerns a method of replenishing articles in a
modular merchandising display and a modular merchandising display
that can be easily replenished or refilled with product at the
retailers thus eliminating the need for multiple packaging steps,
cumbersome shipping and associated additional expense.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of promotional displays exist for merchandising product,
e.g., photographic film rolls, in a retail environment. Most common
is the use of temporary merchandising displays often made from
corrugated paperboard material, which comes to the retailer
pre-stocked with product. These temporary merchandising displays
are generally conveniently positioned on the retail floor and
product contained therein is directly withdrawn by the consumer
until all is depleted. Once the temporary merchandising display is
empty of product, it is typically discarded and replaced with a new
pre-filled temporary display unit.
Typical examples of prior art temporary merchandising displays are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,251,753 by Pigott et al, titled
"Combined Product Shipping And Display Unit," Oct. 12, 1993; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,167,324 by Miller, titled "Shipping Carton And Display
Unit For Tubes," Dec. 1, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,934 by Reiner,
titled "Display Package," Mar. 14, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,624 by
Clacerano, titled "Modular Promotional Display," May 2, 1989; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,293,99 by Neuman et al., titled "Combined Shipping and
Presentation Package," Mar. 15, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,203 by
Klawiter et al., titled "Container For Shipping And Displaying Of
Product," Jun. 9, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,953 by Polvere,
titled "Combination Shipping Carton and Display Stand Formed With
Insert Panels And Shelves. Each of these displays is adaptable to
be used as a shipping carton for shipping merchandise and a display
for displaying the merchandise. In some of the displays, such as
the ones described in U.S. Patents '991, '324, and '753, additional
conversion elements or steps are required to convert the package
into a suitable merchandising display.
It is well known in the packaging industry that temporary
merchandising displays of the sort described above have generally
complex designs and structures. Moreover, such merchandising
displays are not usually assembled or filled automatically at the
point of manufacture or packaging of the product.
The skilled artisan in the art of merchandising displays and
product shipment is aware that it is a major shortcoming of the
rather typical process that the pre-filled merchandising displays
are generally bulky, heavy, costly, and difficult to stock and then
ship.
Therefore, a need persists in the art for a modular merchandising
display that is simple, convenient for the retailer to stock and
display product, and cost effective to implement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a
replenishable merchandising display that can be efficiently
replenished at the retail location.
Another object of the invention is to provide a replenishable
merchandising display fabricated from structurally durable
materials that enables considerably longer use.
To achieve these and other objects and advantages of the invention,
a replenishable merchandising display comprises: an upright
standing, substantially rigid frame comprising a plurality of
product compartments, each one of said plurality of product
compartments having a top wall and an opposed bottom wall defining
a base, and opposed side walls each being adjoined to a rear wall,
and said opposed side walls exposing an opening to receive and
access at least one generally polygonal-shaped modular receptacle;
and said at least one generally polygonal-shaped modular receptacle
being removably stored in one of said plurality of product
compartments, said at least one generally polygonal-shaped modular
receptacle accommodating a predetermined quantity of sales unit of
a product.
The present invention has the following advantages over prior art
developments: cost effectiveness; increased product replenishing
efficiency; reduced inventory for the retailer; elimination of
multiple packaging steps and associated waste of packaging
materials; and, elimination of the shipment of filled merchandising
displays and the associated risk of loss.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent when taken in
conjunction with the following description and drawings wherein
identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to
designate identical features that are common to the figures, and
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the merchandising display of the
invention partially filled with modular receptacles;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular receptacle that can be
filled with merchandise at the point of manufacture,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modular receptacle partially
filled with product;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a top cover for shipment to a
retailer;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shrink wrap for covering a
modular receptacle for shipment to a retailer;
FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of a product compartment showing the
vertical stabilizer member in a first position;
FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of a product compartment showing the
vertical stabilizer in a second position;
FIG. 8 is a product compartment tilted for better viewing by a
retail customer, and
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, the
replenishable merchandising display 50 of the invention is
illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, replenishable merchandising
display 50 has an upright standing, substantially rigid frame 52.
Frame 52 is constructed of a durable material, preferably a
corrugated plastic material, such as corrugated polyethylene.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that frame 52 may also be formed
of other durable materials including metals, thermoformable
polymeric materials, thermoset materials, and metallic materials.
This feature enables the walls 56, 58, 60 (described below) to
withstand fairly frequent product replacement procedures
implemented primarily at the retailer.
Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of product compartments 54 is
formed in frame 52 for accommodating a predetermined quantity of
sale units of a product 51 (shown in FIG. 3). Each product
compartment 54 has a top wall 56 and an opposed bottom wall 58
defining a base. Opposed side walls 60 are adjoined to a rear wall
62 and expose an opening 64 to receive and access at least one
modular receptacle 66 (also referred to as a product container),
described in detail below, that contains the product 51 for
sale.
Referring to FIGS. 2-3, modular receptacle 66 has a generally
polygonal shape, an open face 74, and is removably stored in one of
the plurality of product compartments 54 arranged in merchandising
display 50. An important feature of modular receptacle 66 is its
simplistic design and structure. For ease of filling at the product
manufacturer's location, modular receptacle 66, commonly referred
to as a half-slotted container, has minimum folds and no
interlocking parts. Structurally, modular receptacle 66 may be made
of practically any semi-rigid material, such as corrugated
paperboard.
According to FIGS. 4-5, the product manufacturer may, in a variety
of ways, protect the product 51 contained in the modular receptacle
66 from shipping damage and pilferage. An open face container 80
similar to modular receptacle 66 may be used to cover the open face
74 of the modular receptacle 66. Preferably, open-faced container
80 has a substantially identical shape and dimension to that of
modular receptacle 66 and is fabricated from similar materials.
According to FIG. 5, another way to protect product 51 in modular
receptacle 66 is to apply a shrink wrap material 82, such as
polyethylene, about the open face 74 and side walls 68 of modular
receptacle 66. Such a wrap material will more than adequately
secure the product 51 in the modular receptacle 66. Skilled
artisans will appreciate that there are numerous other ways to
protect the product 51 during shipment that are within the
contemplation of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 6-7, a vertical stabilizer member 70 having a
substantially rectangular shape is rotatably associated with the
base in frame 52 for accommodating a modular receptacle 66 of a
predetermined dimension. More particularly, vertical stabilizer 70
is affixed in frame 52 for pivotable movements between the top wall
56 and bottom wall 58 of the product compartment 54. According to
FIGS. 6 and 7, vertical stabilizer member 70 is made to pivot in
product compartment 54 between top wall 56 and bottom wall 58 to
accommodate modular receptacles 66 having various dimensions. It is
also important that a vertical stabilizer member 70 is present
between the horizontal members 72 of the product compartments 54 to
help support the weight of the product 51 in the product
compartments 54 in the upper part of the merchandising display
unit. In FIG. 6, the vertical stabilizer member 70 is in a first
position for accommodating a modular receptacle 66 that has an open
face dimension that is relatively narrow. According to FIG. 7,
vertical stabilizer member 70 is pivoted to a second position to
accommodate a modular receptacle 66 that is relatively wide.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that vertical stabilizer member 70
supports the weight of the product 51 in the product compartments
54 in the upper part of the merchandising display 52.
Referring again to FIG. 1, merchandising display 50 may optionally
be freestanding or mobile. In the latter embodiment, a plurality of
roller members 84, such as casters, may be rotatably attached to
rigid frame 52. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other
means of mobilizing merchandizing display 50 may be used with
substantially identical results.
Referring to FIG. 8, in another embodiment of the merchandising
display 50 of the invention, products compartments 54 for receiving
modular receptacle 66 is slightly tilted in the merchandising
display 50. Slightly tilted product compartments 54 are preferably
tilted upwardly towards the top wall of the frame 52 for ease of
viewing and removing product 51 from the modular receptacle 66.
Product compartments 54 are preferably tilted in frame 52 by
angling the base of the frame 52.
Referring to FIG. 1, merchandising display 50 may alternatively
include a promotional header 90. Promotional header 90 may be
conveniently removably attached to a portion of frame 52 that is
most visible to the consumer. Promotional header 90, generally made
of paperboard, may be attached by tabs (not shown) on promotional
header 90 that engages corresponding slots (not shown) in the frame
52.
Referring now to FIG. 9, the process of replenishing product 51 for
retail in a merchandising display having at least one modular
receptacle 66 is illustrated. According to FIG. 9, from the product
manufacturer, the product 51, such as photographic film product or
cameras, is packaged in the modular receptacle 66 for shipment to a
retailer (Steps 12-16). Of course the product manufacturer would
prepare the product against damage during shipment by either
sealing the open portion of the modular receptacle 66 with shrink
wrap or covering the opened portion with an appropriate covering
before arranging the product in the receptacle for shipment to a
designated retailer. Skilled artisans will appreciate that the
aforementioned process can be achieved manually or with the use of
automatic equipment.
During the normal course of business, the retailer would either
have or would order (Step 28) a merchandising display 50 from a
fabricator. These fabricators generally assemble the merchandising
display 50 (Step 30) to meet the needs and specification of the
product manufacturer. It is important to this novel and unobvious
method that the merchandising display 50 be assembled from durable
materials that can withstand long-term use and potentially abnormal
handling. We have found that the most durable materials are ones
selected from among corrugated plastic, thin molded plastic, or a
coated paperboard corrugated material. Most preferred among these
materials for our application is corrugated plastic.
As appropriate, the retailer would order at least one modular
receptacle 66 containing the requested product therein. Product
turnover and inventory are typical factors that may determine when
such orders are actually placed.
Referring again to FIG. 9, in Step 18, once the modular receptacle
66 is received by the retailer, the retailer then removes any outer
wrap that may exist to protect the product 51 during shipment and
then places the modular receptacle 66 into the product compartment
54 of the merchandising display 50. With the product 51 stocked in
the modular receptacle 66 and placed into the product compartment
54 of the merchandising display 50, they are now available for sale
to a retail customer who can directly remove the product 51 from
the merchandising display (Step 20). During the normal course of
business, product 51 is depleted primarily by sales to retail
customers (Step 22). According to Step 24, as product from an
individual modular receptacle 66 is sold out or depleted, the empty
modular receptacle 66 is removed and the merchandising display 50
is replenished with another modular receptacle 66 filled with
product 51. It is expected that the merchandising display unit 50
will eventually wear out or break (Step 26). In those instances,
the retailer would then place an order for a new merchandising
display 50 (Steps 28).
The invention has been described with reference to a preferred
embodiment. However, it will be appreciated that variations and
modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the
art without departing from the scope of the invention.
PARTS LIST 12 step: manufacturer receives order from retailer 14
step: manufacturer fills modular receptacles with product 16 step:
modular receptacles of product shipped to retailer 18 step:
retailer fills display unit with modular receptacles filled with
product 20 step: retailer places filled merchandising display unit
on sales floor 22 step: product is depleted from merchandising
display unit 24 step: replenish with modular receptacles of product
packed by manufacturer 26 step merchandising display unit wears out
28 step: retailer orders merchandising display 30 step: fabricator
builds merchandising display unit 50 replenishable merchandising
display unit 51 product 52 rigid frame 54 product compartment 56
top wall of product compartment 54 58 bottom wall of product
compartment 54 60 side wall of product compartment 54 62 rear wall
of product compartment 54 64 opening in product compartment 54 66
modular receptacle (product container) 68 side wall of modular
receptacle 66 70 vertical stabilizer member of product compartment
54 72 horizontal member of product compartment 54 74 open face 80
open face container 82 shrink wrap material 84 roller member 90
promotional header
* * * * *